While at work yesterday, most of the area received a good soaking rain. Not near enough to erase our deficit, it at least will prolong the time before we completely burn up. When I arrived home there was still water standing in some of the depressions about the yard...Rain puddles...Who…
And the conservative will discount the numbers because of the source...But come on, can't we expect a little bit of research from the speech writers? Fact check John McCain: Another of my disagreements with Senator Obama concerns the estate tax, which he proposes to increase to a top rate of…
As always, Bill Moyers gives a hell of a talk... YouTube - Bill Moyers addresses NCMR 2008 Legendary journalist Bill Moyers address the National Conference for Media Reform in Minneapolis, June 7, 2008. Presented by FreePress.net. For more speakers, press coverage, and info, visit: http://www.freepress.net/conference Now...Go Tell It... And Tell…
Obama's In Control: No More Lobbyist Contributions To Democratic Party - Politics on The Huffington Post "The DNC and the Obama Campaign are unified and working together to elect Barack Obama as the next president of the United States. Our presumptive nominee has pledged not to take donations from Washington…
Tis a hell of a note when the temperature that greets you upon walking out of the house at 6am feels like 85°. Not a good sign for early June. And so starts my day. I see this unseasonable warmth has moved all the way to the Blue Ridge Mountains…
Clinton's Count Doesn't Add Up - washingtonpost.com You have to admire Hillary Clinton for her ability to reshape reality to her preferred outcome. She seems to assume that if she says something loudly enough, and repeats it often enough, it will become true. Her victory speech in Puerto Rico was…
Way back when, in the final season of the West Wing there was an episode with the title "The Presidential Voice". The premise was that Congressman Santos didn't have the "Presidential Voice" and they were trying to teach it to him. Long story short...You don't teach the "Presidential Voice", it…
Bill Moyers Journal . Transcripts | PBS
May 2, 2008
BILL MOYERS:Welcome to the Journal.
I once asked a reporter back from Vietnam, "Who's telling the truth over there?" Everyone he said. Everyone sees what's happening through the lens of their own experience." That's how people see Jeremiah Wright. In my conversation with him on this broadcast a week ago and in his dramatic public appearances since, he revealed himself to be far more complex than the sound bites that propelled him onto the public stage. Over 2000 of you have written me about him, and your opinions vary widely. Some sting: "Jeremiah Wright is nothing more than a race-hustling, American hating radical," one viewer wrote. A "nut case," said another. Others were far more were sympathetic to him.
Interesting little legal quandary... McCain's Birth Abroad Stirs Legal Debate - washingtonpost.com The Senate has unanimously declared John McCain a natural-born citizen, eligible to be president of the United States. That is the good news for the presumptive Republican nominee, who was born nearly 72 years ago in a military…
Paul Krugman's latest column focuses on food. Wander on over and check out his thoughts... Grains Gone Wild - New York Times These days you hear a lot about the world financial crisis. But there’s another world crisis under way — and it’s hurting a lot more people. I’m talking…
YES! Magazine Exclusive Interview :: Pete Seeger “I remember Pete Seeger from when I was a child and this story-telling, banjo-picking singer would come on his sloop, the Clearwater, to the neglected little parks that lined the Hudson River not far from my home. His presence brought people together to…
For everyone who has heard Clinton won Texas (over and over and over again), the voting ain't over till it's over... Party's not over for Texas Democratic caucus-goers | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle Clinton, a senator from New York, won the March 4 primaries and collected a 65-61 lead in…
Eugene Robinson has a really good muse on the Iraq war in todays column...It starts with this: Eugene Robinson - 4,000 Dead for What? - washingtonpost.com When U.S. military deaths in Iraq hit a round number, as happened Sunday, there's usually a week or so of intense focus on the…
It's not just the laws that have been passed. It's not just the laws that have been vetoed. It's not just the laws that GW Bush has said don't apply to him as he signed them. In many ways it comes back to the appointments made to the different departments…
Paul Krugman has an informative column up today... Contrary to popular belief, the stock market crash of 1929 wasn’t the defining moment of the Great Depression. What turned an ordinary recession into a civilization-threatening slump was the wave of bank runs that swept across America in 1930 and 1931. This…
I'm a liberal, and I loathe the anti-American things Wright said precisely because I believe that the genius of our country is its capacity for self-correction. Progressivism and, yes, hope itself depend on a belief that personal conversion and social change are possible, that flawed human beings are capable of…
Ozone Rules Weakened at Bush's Behest - washingtonpost.com The Environmental Protection Agency weakened one part of its new limits on smog-forming ozone after an unusual last-minute intervention by President Bush, according to documents released by the EPA.
When this year started, I figured the Democratic Party had a really good thing going. There were low polling numbers for the Republicans and we had some really good candidates running. As the primaries and caucuses worked their way down the schedule, Hillery and Barack both broke out and I…
Where is the Cookie Monster (oops...sorry) when you need him?
A personal observation from my polling place yesterday...There were lines on the Democratic side of the room but none on the Republican side. And this area is mostly Republican. We don't field a full slate of Democrat candidates for any elections in this area... Caucus crowds amaze election officials |…
The political novelty of actual campaign money being spent by national candidates in Texas is a subject of conversation around the water cooler at work. Between the two of the, Clinton and Obama have spent more money in Texas than all of the Democratic National campaigns of the last half…
At least that is what the Washington Post is saying... System Worries Clinton Backers - washingtonpost.com Supporters of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton are worried that convoluted delegate rules in Texas could water down the impact of strong support for her among Hispanic voters there, creating a new obstacle for her…
I have been voting in Presidential Primaries and Elections since the 1970's and never once have I seen anything other than local election commercials. Today I have seen multiple Obama spots and even a Clinton spot. Wow...Who Would of Thought...Texas has a say? I am so used to being in…
I generally try very hard to keep from going off about politics. I have even sidelined my political musings at my other blog because there just didn't seem to be much use. Bush was going to be Bush and Congress wasn't going to hold him accountable for anything at all.…
Smile everybody. YouTube.com is three today. Registered on February 15, 2005... Happy Birthday YouTube... ++++++++++ Well the redbirds are back this morning. The kitchen door is open again with outside temperatures in the mid 60's. The skies are cloudy...no sun showing this morning and rains are coming according to all…
Well looky here...Texas could have something to say about who is running for President. Not something I would have expected before Tuesday. What a turn around for the state that first elected George W Bush to elected office.. Harris County emerges as major player in primaries | Chron.com - Houston…
It ain't much of a question...But lately as I get up in the morning or read email of a evening, I find myself searching for a reason to start a conversation. Even if I'm only talking to myself...You would think I could come up with something to say...But, no, the…
In the business world the dollar is the religion of choice, with it businesses are able to buy politics. This years political buy has started in the dirtiest business in America. Coal Industry Plugs Into the Campaign - washingtonpost.com A group backed by the coal industry and its utility allies…
It's raining today so I'm sitting at the kitchen table listening to the raindrops with Mary Gauthier playing in the background. Of the things I had on my wishlist for Christmas, two were her latest recordings. Ever since I discovered her last year, I have been in love with the…
A while back I wrote a review for Fred First's, A Slow Road Home, at the time we had only met on the pages of each others blogs and through the exchange of emails. This is what I wrote back then... Today for lunch I joined a friend I've never…
“What politics has become, requires a level of tolerance for triviality and artifice and nonsense that I have found in short supply.” - Al Gore ++++++++++ The MSM has been abuzz ever since the announcement with the question of Al Gore running for President. I have just one question...Why? Why…
The weather out is delightful, even the humidity has fallen below 90%. Morning temperature is 64°. The skys are clear and the day has yet to break. We should be heading into a beautiful weekend. It could be time for a photo road trip... ++++++++++ Well...It looks like the Industrial…
The morning reading of the thermometer shows that our last few days of precursor fall weather were just a tease as usual. The morning's low is in the mid seventies again and the afternoon highs haven't been pleasant even when the lows were ten degrees less...I guess my best shot…
Going through the Google Reader feeds this morning I stumbled over Dick Cavett at the Times. If you need a review of his column take this into consideration...I read all the wy to the end to get these final lines to drop quote here. Witness for theWho, Exactly? - Dick…
There is a new deal floating through Washington DC. It's called Republican Speak. Whenever a Republican does something, blocks some law, breaks some law or rule the idea is to get the MSM (mainstream media) to blame it on the Democrats. Damned if it ain't working. Yet, to hear the…
The Labor Day weekend played out long as usual. The bar-b-que was well received by one and all. I think we ended up with a bakers dozen here at one point or another during the afternoon. We pigged out, literally...Ribs and sausage (though there was some fresh chicken sausage on…
The night was spent at the Best Western around the corner and in all probability tonight will be also. At home this morning to pick up a couple of things and before running off to work I thought I'd at least read my email. Hopefully, today will see enough progress…
From Washington Forgive me a few moments of happiness at the news from Washington. The one bit of uniting not dividing to come out of the White House in six years...Karl Rove is resigning. One of the few good quotes I've seen about the resignation of Karl Rove... "Buh-bye, Karl…
For the record...This is day 1 of week 2 Post-Radiation. In a bit of serendipitous follow-up to yesterday's post. My email brings me this from Grist...How to prioritize your organic food dollars to get the most from your budget. On prioritizing organic purchases | By Umbra Fisk | Grist |…
This story caught my interest the other day. A Factory Farm Near You - New York Times Once upon a time, only a decade or so, it wasn’t hard to know where factory hog farms were because they were nearly all in North Carolina. But since those days, the practice…
Today's number is 34...Only one more day to go. As I was rambling through the news today, reading the stories out of Washington, and the comments from readers, I was struck with a wild and crazy idea. My idea was to give the veto power to the people. In addition…
The days number is 33...after today just two to go. This weekend brought the end of an era to our house. I finally broke down and bought our first replacement television with digital tuning. Had I known how clear of the air broadcasts could be with just a set of…
Todays number is 31...Look Ma, no voice...He said with a raspy whisper. If this doesn't look like the eye of an angry God, I'll eat my fire and brimstone upbringing. I have visions of a bird of prey here... The Helix Nebula Dust makes this cosmic eye look red.…
Today's number is 28... Last evening we had a real gully washer of a thunderstorm roll through after 8pm. As Sherry and I sat at the kitchen table reading we started hearing distant rumbles. The first time, I pulled up the National Weather Service site and there wasn't anything showing…
Warning: Bush Bashing Political Rant Follows The New York Times has a great question in the first paragraph of this editorial... FEMA Runs for Cover - New York Times How many times can the federal government let down the victims of the hurricanes that ravaged the Gulf Coast two years…
I see my Congressman is still stirring the pot... When U.S. Rep. Ron Paul recently gave the keynote address at a ceremony presenting overdue medals to 24 veterans, he talked about patriotism, the country's debt owed to veterans, the need for a strong military and strong personal freedom. What he…
I hope some of you out there were able to catch Bill Moyers Journal last night. It was one of the strongest cases I have seen made to date in favor of impeaching both the President and the Vice-President. The thing that impressed me the most was that the strongest…
One year ago this week we were sitting on the side of a mountain in northwestern North Carolina. We aren't the first Texans to have discovered and fallen in love with the Blue Ridge Mountains and I'm sure we wont be the last. The plan for this year was to…
It was a little strange this morning, waking up to the sounds of silence. No thunder, no pounding rain, not even the subliminal sound of water dripping from the eaves, seems very weird. I am sure it won't last as the humidity is at 99% and the temperature is already…
Keith Olbermann has another of his special commentaries out. It's too bad neither President Bush nor Vice-President Cheney have an iota of understanding about what it is they have done that sets so many Patriotic Americans teeth on edge. And as far as doing the right thing is concerned, Mr.…
I rolled out of bed this morning to the sound of thunder and pouring rain. That seems to be the pattern around here the past week or so. What is unusual about that is thunderstorms, unassociated with a weather front usually don't happen before the sun has had a chance…
I generally don't just copy someone else's full post. This one twigged on a number of levels so I'll let Jim Hightower say it himself. Jim Hightower | WHY NOT "DRINK LOCAL?" Friday, June 29, 2007 Posted by Jim Hightower Listen to this Commentary In a triumph of marketing over…
This mornings Washington Post has some interesting reading. Even David Broder is on Chaney's case this morning. If you haven't checked out the Post's series on the essential Dick Chaney you really should...Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency. But then we get to George Will. I am beginning to think the…
Well after a couple of weeks of playing target practice with a ray gun the sore throat they were promising has arrived. Looks like this most expensive of diets has now kicked into it's starting phase... Checking the news this morning I see Warren Buffett is living up to the…
As I was perusing through the morning emails the daily forecast started me thinking. Back on our first summer trip to the mountains in August of 2003 the folk down in town of Valle Crucis were all talking about the uncommonly hot weather they were having. I want to say…
Pushing the Envelope on Presidential Power | Cheney | washingtonpost.com Shortly after the first accused terrorists reached the U.S. naval prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on Jan. 11, 2002, a delegation from CIA headquarters arrived in the Situation Room. The agency presented a delicate problem to White House counsel Alberto…
My short answer...If you have heard they have cancer, don't ask "How are you?" Talk about a loaded question with no real answers at the beginning of treatment. "How you feeling?" would be safer...just. "Hi!" is the best and the safest yet. My two cents thrown out into the blogosphere.…
So far so good. Other than a raspy voice not much to report after the first weeks radiation treatment. No news is good news I guess. The promised cooling effect of afternoon thunderstorms did not happen yesterday. So it was quite warm as I finished the yard in the late…
With the sentencing of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Fitzgerald has apparently finished his work, which was, not to put too fine a point on it, to make a mountain out of a molehill. At the urging of the liberal press (especially the New York Times), he was appointed to look…
There was a break in the afternoon gully washers yesterday. I took that opportunity to play a bit of catchup on the yard work. I managed to mow about 2/3 of the yard...if I'm lucky I may get the rest mowed this afternoon. At 6am this morning we are already…
The Ethicurean Blog always has some intriguing posts about the food we eat and how it is raised or shows up at our table. Maybe I've been reading them too much, 'cause this whole dependence on corn is beginning to remind me of something else. Are we planning to trade…
American Agriculture - Do you trust a CEO to decide what you eat? It may just be my inherent distrust of corporations or the complete lack of values most corporations have shown in the course of this country's history, but, I really do not trust my food quality and safety…
Ok, after a long hiatus on this site my liberal rantiness has returned. All it took was a return to the 1980's and the Republican definition of "Law and Order". I found this statement from Robert Novak intriguing. Just when it seemed George W. Bush's sinking prestige with his Republican…
What a difference a day makes...Yesterday morning I was in Medical Mode and not hurrying out the door, so I drew my first cup and glanced up at the "Weather Station". The outside temperature was 68 and the humidity was lower than normal, just in the 80% vicinity, so I…
Looks like the same old game for the Bush administration. Give a big speech taking the oppositions side away from them, do some back office finagling to ensure what you just promised doesn't happen, and then just assume no one will notice. WASHINGTON — The Bush administration is drastically scaling…
March 27, 2006I have decided that trying to keep up with multiple blogs requires more time than I want to devote. So I am now keeping my political musing on my main blog. If you wish to wander over you can follow this link...Political MusesYou will have to read through…
On Easter Sunday the Iraq prognosis could be better. A political breakthrough in Washington already happened, Hamre (John J. Hamre, a former deputy defense secretary) said, when November's elections turned into a referendum on the war. "The American people have been waiting to hear how we were going to win in…
1992 was the year I became a Democrat. That was the year I got the opportunity to attend every session of the Republican National Convention. I was in the building before the delegates and I left each evening after they went off to their parties. The thing that turned me…
You know, either politicians are getting really stupid or they think we are. It really doesn't matter a whole lot if they are being paid off any more, the appearance that they are being paid off is something they should have avoided. The smell of this mandate by the Gov…
This was in the newsfeed from the Houston Chronicle today. In the new spirit of media disclosure, I should tell you that I own several Dixie Chicks CDs. But I'm not writing this as an adoring bluegrass fan. I'm writing this as a shame and empathy researcher. That was how Brene'…
Even in a holiday season, politics requires that politicians put in an appearance. Presidential funerals don't happen often, when they do, you go. Nothing shows the depth of a man like the way he shows respect to those who went before him. And a show of respect that requires nothing…
From the parallel universe of Robert Novak. "Environmentalists' well-financed propaganda operation"...Does the man live in this universe? Industry has been spending many times the amounts the environmentalists have but the truth is still coming thru their lies and distortions. Industry has controlled the conversation for 12 years in congress and…
This morning's OP-ED from David Broder makes some interesting points. He has divided the Bush Presidency into four phases. I think he should have added a fifth. In trying to gauge where things stand in our government after the political upheaval that has taken place, it helps to think back through the…
It is nice to read something on the Op-Ed pages at the WSJ that I can agree with for a change. Looks like the new Senator from Virginia has a way with telling it like it is... The most important--and unfortunately the least debated--issue in politics today is our society's steady drift toward a…
It would be funny if it wasn't so sad.After arguing during the campaign that Democrats would undermine national security, President Bush changed course today and said America's enemies should not read this week's ground-shaking election results as a sign of U.S. weakness.Bush radio: Elections do not reflect a loss of…
I guess the reason I have been quiet in regards to the resounding change in the political climate is I have been waiting for the other shoe to drop. Congratulation to all of the winners across the country. In particular, congratulation to us, the American people. We have begun the…
All I am going to say is, I agree.The Great Divider - New York Times: "As President Bush throws himself into the final days of a particularly nasty campaign season, he’s settled into a familiar pattern of ugly behavior. Since he can’t defend the real world created by his policies…
You know, I'm getting really tired of this Administration trying to tell me what morality is. As they lie and cheat and push crony politics to new limits, they seem to have a disconnect with reality (like I'm the first person to say that). I can only hope that the…
Former Texas Governor, Activist Ann Richards, 73 - washingtonpost.com: "Former Texas governor Ann Richards, the witty and flamboyant Democrat who went from homemaker to national political celebrity, died Sept. 13 after cancer was diagnosed this year, a family spokeswoman said. She was 73."She was a breath of fresh air in…
Harold Meyerson - With No Ideas, The GOP Seeks to Scare - washingtonpost.com: "What's a party to do when its high road leads nowhere but down? The Republicans tried privatizing Social Security, but their numbers never added up. They tried spreading democracy with unilateral, preventive war but instead unleashed a…
I guess this pretty much explains the shenanigans in Florida in 2000...ORLANDO, Aug. 25 -- Rep. Katherine Harris (R-Fla.) said this week that God did not intend for the United States to be a 'nation of secular laws' and that the separation of church and state is a 'lie we…
USNews.com: Washington Whispers: "To the list of those penning books about the prez add the most authoritative source of all: President Bush. Insiders say that he's been working on the project for a year. 'He's doing a memoir,' one insider says. 'He's keenly interested in it.' But here's the odd…
CNN.com - Democrats vow to block pay raises until minimum wage increased - June 27, 2006: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Democrats ratcheted up their election-year push for an increase in the federal minimum wage Tuesday by promising to block a congressional pay hike unless some of the lowest-paid hourly workers get…
Lawmakers' Profits Are Scrutinized: House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) made a $2 million profit last year on the sale of land 5 1/2 miles from a highway project that he helped to finance with targeted federal funds.A Republican House member from California, meanwhile, received nearly double what he paid…
You know, Tom Delay had been my Congressman for most of my adult life. I have been voting against him for that entire length of time. Today I am happy to say “don’t let the door hit you, Tom.” I look forward to enjoying your retirement from politics. The Washinton…
Jim Hightower | REMEMBER AFGHANISTAN: "Gosh, George W has kept us all so busy trying to deal with his disastrous Iraq war and with his build-up for a whole new war in Iran – that I'd forgotten about his war in Afghanistan! How's that going? It's an important question, since…
Creators.com - Creators Syndicate: "It would be easier to contemplate a two-year holding period if Bush hadn't already wasted so much time. Of particular note in this department is 'the inconvenient truth' -- global warming. Wasting eight years in the face of what we already knew when Bush came in…
Elections Are Crux Of GOP's Strategy: "'The president's run into a perfect political storm where the confluence of natural disasters from last fall, gasoline prices, staff changes, the continuing war in Iraq, all are giving conservatives a defensive fatigue,' said Kenneth Khachigian, a California GOP strategist who served in Ronald…
